Here's the case to be made for and against Cable, with Davis presiding as the judge and jury.

Record

For: Cable's victories are as impressive as those of any 5-11 coach in football. He beat two playoff teams at home: Philadelphia and Cincinnati. He beat two cold-weather playoff contenders on the road in December: Pittsburgh and Denver.

Against: Wins against winning teams are an indictment on Cable. If they're good enough to beat good teams, how could he lose to the Redskins, Browns and Chiefs?

JaMarcus Russell

For: Cable showed draft status does not matter by benching Russell. "Just win, baby" meant something again. Almost the entire locker room sided with Cable on this move. That's how you change the culture.

Against: Cable got the job by saying he could win with Russell, Davis' prized possession. He'll get the blame for failing to do so, and for stunting Russell's development.

Scandal

For: Cable stayed steady through 20 years' worth of assault accusations. For all the distractions, he never was charged with a crime after a lengthy Napa police investigation.

Against: Cable might not have committed a crime, but his actions at the Napa Valley Marriott set this whole wreck in motion. Davis still hasn't gotten over the embarrassing distraction of it all.

Offense

For: The offensive numbers went up across the board when he benched Russell after nine games, showing who was holding them back all along. He threw more, as Davis wanted, while breaking in young receivers.

Against: Seventeen touchdowns in 16 games, as Davis' people keep saying. With or without Russell, this was the second-worst scoring offense in franchise history.

Pass protection

For: Cable played left tackle Mario Henderson, just as Davis wanted, only for Henderson to prove Lane Kiffin might have been right all along. Injuries and Russell's terrible pocket awareness did Cable no favors.

Against: The 49 sacks were the team's second most in 10 years. Cable is a line coach by trade. He's the one who picked these guys. A young quarterback without protection becomes David Carr.

End result

For: Davis decides coaching continuity matters, but so do scoring points and developing Russell, so Cable stays on but gives up offensive control.

Against: Since when did Davis care about coaching continuity? He wants to score points and develop Russell, and will let some offensive coordinator from without take it from here.